1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image storing-transferring method and apparatus, an image processing method and system taking advantage of the image storing-transferring method, and an image processor that is employed in the image processing system.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the case of handling an image acquired by a radiation image reader, etc., an image-processing parameter (hereinafter also referred to simply as a parameter) suitable for the acquired image is stored (in a storage unit) or transferred in correlation with the acquired image so that the output image becomes an image suitable for diagnosis. At the time of reproduction and output, the image and the parameter stored, etc., are read out and given an image process, whereby an optimal processed image can be obtained.
However, there are instances where in practice, an image stored, etc., has not always coincided with each resolution level of the parameter correlated with the image, for data handling convenience.
For example, there are cases where an image is read out with high density, the read high density image whose resolution level is high is printed and then transformed to a low density image whose resolution level is low, and this low density image and the parameter for the high density image (acquired image) are stored. This is for the purpose of reducing archiving costs and enhancing data handling performance, by storing a low density image, in which the number of pixels is small and the file size can be reduced.
In certain cases, high density reading is performed, but in normal handling, an image lower in resolution level than a high density image is handled as a standard image, and the aforementioned image-processing parameter has a value corresponding to the resolution level of this standard image. When reproducing and outputting a high density image, a parameter suitable for the high density image is used. As a form of storing an image and a parameter, the parameters for the high density image and the standard image are sometimes stored.
However, if image resolution is changed by pixel density transformation, etc., for example, the relationship between the pixel-density transformed image, i.e., an image differing in image resolution and the image-processing parameter set according to the resolution level of the high density image being before transformation will be broken, and therefore, the parameter will no longer be suitable for the pixel-density transformed image. As a result, if the pixel-density transformed image is processed by use of a parameter set according to the resolution level of the high density image before transformation, there are cases where the processed image is not optimal and therefore has influence on image diagnosis. Particularly, in the case where the image process employs a spatial filter, as in a frequency enhancing process and a smoothing process, this problem becomes very noticeable.